“The mayor has acknowledged the legal risks in trying to reduce current employee pension benefits, but argues that the alternative is municipal bankruptcy or a greatly reduced workforce. And he believes the law allows room for what he’s proposed.”

“Reed has said the move is needed to curb runaway pension costs, which have jumped from $63 million in 2000 to $255 million this year. They are expected to hit $400 million or more in five years.

The city has had to lay off employees, including police officers, to cover that bill, with the number of employees dropping from a high of 7,500 about a decade ago to about 5,300 today.”

“At least 66 jobs will be eliminated by the city of Stockton starting with its new fiscal year July 1 but a far greater number of terminations or even bankruptcy have not been ruled out by the Central Valley city.

If the city and various unions reach agreements for sufficient pay and benefit cuts, the firings would stop at 66. If not, as many as 250 jobs would be eliminated, city officials say. Bankruptcy would be the other option.

The cuts were approved Tuesday night as the council tried to bridge a $37 million General Fund deficit for the coming fiscal year.”

“Officials in some Southern California cities are wondering whether tight budgets will prevent them from contributing money for floats in the Rose Parade.

Glendale’s City Council on Monday asked city staff to create an account where residents can donate to the city’s float, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A majority of city councilmembers said they wouldn’t commit $130,000 from the general fund to the project because the city is facing a $18 million budget deficit, putting the city’s long tradition of participation in the parade at risk.”

“The U.S. Postal Service, facing insolvency unless it gets approval to delay a $5.5 billion payment for worker health benefits, will suspend contributions to an employee retirement account to save $800 million this year.

The Postal Service will stop paying employer contributions to the defined-benefit Federal Employees Retirement System, which covers about 85 percent of career postal workers, it said today in an e-mailed statement. The $115 million payment, made every other week, will stop on June 24, the statement said.

Suspending payments to the retirement account will help “conserve cash and preserve liquidity,” the statement said. The agency estimates it has overpaid the retirement account by $6.9 billion and has asked Congress to pass legislation to return that money.”